The Relationship between Adolescent Pregnancy and Stunting among Toddlers Aged 12-36 Months in Bogor District, Indonesia

Abstract

Background: Stunting is a serious problem that needs to be handled both in Indonesia and globally.
Approximately 151 million, or 22.2%, of toddlers in the world are currently stunted. The purpose of this
study is to assess the relationship between adolescent pregnancy and stunting in toddlers aged 12-36 months
in Bogor District, Indonesia.
Method: A cross-sectional study design was employed, with primary data from a total sample of 500
toddlers in the District. Stunting status was assessed based on the height-for-age indicator <-2 z-score, while
the categorization of adolescent pregnancies related to pregnant women age <20 years. The analysis of the
relationship between adolescent pregnancies and stunting applied multivariate Cox regression analysis and
the effect is expressed by the prevalence ratio (PR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI).
Result: Our study shows that the prevalence of stunting in toddlers aged 12-36 months in Bogor District is
39.2%. The Cox regression test results of the relationship between adolescent pregnancy and stunting show
a PR of 1.42 (95% CI: 1.01-1.98), which means that pregnant women who are still teenagers (<20 years)
display a prevalence of stunted toddlers 1.4 times higher than those who are adult (?20 years), after being
controlled by the “mother’s education” and “mother’s parenting pattern” variables.
Conclusion: Stunting can be prevented by raising the maternal gestational age by increasing the minimum
marriage age in accordance with Indonesian marriage law limitations at age of 19 years and get first time
pregnant at age of 20 years.